Carol’s summary:
Today, 1 in 5 public school students is Hispanic, and “the percentage of Hispanic students who graduate from college in six years or less continues to lag behind that of white students, according to a new study by the American Enterprise Institute of graduation figures at more than 600 colleges,” cited in today’s New York Times. A similar study released in September of 2008, by the Pew Hispanic Center (PHC) and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, reports that “only 16 percent of Latino high school graduates earned a bachelor’s degree by age 29, compared with 37 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 21 percent of African-Americans.” By 2050, there will be more Hispanic children in U.S. public schools than non-Hispanic white children, as projected by the PHC report.

The study also reports that Latino students are less likely to have college-educated parents and more likely to live in poverty than white students. “Given the changing demographics of the United States,” the researchers write, “this target cannot be achieved without increasing the rate at which Hispanic students obtain a college degree.” This means educators have an inherent responsibility to direct and prepare more Latinos for college and high-skill jobs—a task that will take on even more urgency if the U.S. is to remain a force in a global economy. Unless schools adopt student success and transition programs as part of their core curriculum, a persistent achievement gap will continue to exist between minority and white students.

LifeBound’s programs for students are designed to boost academic, emotional and social intelligence for all learners, and our programs for parents support them in their role to help their children achieve school, career and life success. For more information about our parent programs, or to receive a review copy of our Spanish version of STUDY SKILLS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, or any of our books, call our national office toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

As the number of Latino students nationwide continues to swell, how can we best prepare them for college and career success?

How can we help Latina students to have a voice and the initiative they need to advocate for resources and opportunities?

How can we help Latino young men make wise choices about friends as well as set healthy boundaries so that they avoid gang activity and other things that can dissuade them from pursuing a strong set of goals for education and career?

ARTICLENew York Times
by Jacques Steinberg
Mrch 17, 2010

The percentage of Hispanic students who graduate from college in six years or less continues to lag behind that of white students, according to a new study of graduation figures at more than 600 colleges.
In the study, the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit research organization, examined graduation rates for students who entered college in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and found that 51 percent of those identified as Hispanic earned bachelor’s degrees in six years or less, compared with 59 percent of white students.
The researchers also found that Hispanic students trailed their white peers no matter how selective the colleges’ admissions processes.
For example, at what the researchers considered the nation’s most competitive colleges — as a yardstick, they aggregated institutions using the same six categories as a popular guidebook, Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges — the institute calculated that nearly 83 percent of Hispanic students graduated, compared with 89 percent of white students. Among colleges identified as “less competitive,” the graduation rate for Hispanic students was 33.5 percent, compared with 40.5 percent for whites.

The percentage of Hispanic students who graduate from college in six years or less continues to lag behind that of white students, according to a new study of graduation figures at more than 600 colleges.
In the study, the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit research organization, examined graduation rates for students who entered college in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and found that 51 percent of those identified as Hispanic earned bachelor’s degrees in six years or less, compared with 59 percent of white students.
The researchers also found that Hispanic students trailed their white peers no matter how selective the colleges’ admissions processes.

For example, at what the researchers considered the nation’s most competitive colleges — as a yardstick, they aggregated institutions using the same six categories as a popular guidebook, Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges — the institute calculated that nearly 83 percent of Hispanic students graduated, compared with 89 percent of white students. Among colleges identified as “less competitive,” the graduation rate for Hispanic students was 33.5 percent, compared with 40.5 percent for whites.